


Better Than a Fairytale

by CharacteristicallyMinor



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fairy Tales, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-13 16:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/826519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharacteristicallyMinor/pseuds/CharacteristicallyMinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil grew up imagining a certain kind of bond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Than a Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Worldbuilding for But Magic by Another Name](https://archiveofourown.org/works/817284) by [thefrogg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefrogg/pseuds/thefrogg). 



> The bonds in this fic are a sort of mental link. They're based on the structures created in thefrogg's universe- check out his/her story, because it is so much better and more elaborate than this. This is more loosely based on those bonds than I planned, but it turned out okay.

Phil grew up imagining a certain kind of bond. He had three little sisters, and thus he had heard all of the fairy tales. Snow White's prince had been passing by and had been drawn to her, almost dead, in the forest; he felt their bond and saved the castle in her mindscape from the evil queen's attacks. Cinderella had danced with her prince for only a few minutes, but they were so compatible that he could find her and bond with her no matter how far away she was. The Little Mermaid had changed species in order to be with her bondmate. You were supposed to just know when you found the right person, and then your whole world changed.

When Phil grew up, he lost some of that innocence. Being bonded didn't mean a perfect happily ever after. It wasn't a matter of being someone's one true love. Still, most people knew when they were compatible with each other. Although there were several people who he worked well with, metaphysically, it was never a matter of love. They were just good friends.

And sometimes, bonding really was like the fairytales. The enemy agents, sent to kill each other, who bonded with each other instead. Clint and Natasha's story was one of love at first sight. 

Phil was their handler for many missions. He worked well with them- he was the one knew they were alive when they were captured in Budapest because he could still sense their mindscape.

He was glad that they had found each other.

And then one day, things changed. He started one of his semi-regular visits to their mindscape that helped them keep their mental familiarity with him, when it happened. Their mindscape blended together with his; everything fell into place.

"Oh," he breathed. And that was that.

 

Except it wasn't. Love isn't like that. After a bond is formed, everything doesn't just fade to black. It wasn't a case of happily ever after. That's not love. They had fights sometimes. There were days when they had been on long missions together and they just needed space for themselves. Sometimes they got captured on missions. Sometimes things didn't go the way that they were supposed to. Natasha would stop talking, Clint would go and hide, and Phil would bury himself in paperwork. They made up. They repeated the whole thing. They fall even more in love as time went on. They grew older, and eventually retired. They died. There was pain and suffering and so much love. 

It was better than any fairytale could have been.


End file.
